East Midlands are usually no problem - you can route through via the entry/exit lanes to the east of the field, traffic permitting. If they're busy you may have to wait or go a little further east.
Leeds OK too - I've twice been invited throug their zone when I didn't even want to - I think they were bored
As for Manchester, no experience actually up in the air, but I live just under the eastern extremity of the CTR and we get perhaps four or five light aircraft a week going low overhead, most transitting, but the odd one obviously just sightseeing. This seems to be only when 06 in use.
Whirly, do you find that there is more/less chance of getting a clearance in a rotary? Does the ability to hover and wait for a gap in the traffic make any difference?